Most coagulation tests can be evaluated up to 8 hours after blood collection

(HealthDay News) — Most routine coagulation tests can be reliably evaluated after storage at room temperature for up to 8 hours after blood collection, according to a study published in the International Journal of Laboratory Hematology.

The researchers observed a significant difference in the analytical comparison of aPTT, fibrinogen, FV, and FVIII results after prolonged storage times vs less than 2 hours of storage. For all parameters, the mean bias between test results obtained after prolonged storage times remained below the desirable values, except for FVIII assessed after 6 and 8 hours of storage, but only in patients with FVIII >100 IU/dL. The corresponding bias of −5.2% and −8.5%, respectively, was within the GEHT (Study Group on Hemostasis and Thrombosis) limits of variation, but evaluation after storage of 8 hours could result in significant FVIII underestimation.

“These results suggest that, in the studied technical conditions, PT/INR, aPTT, fibrinogen, FV, and D-dimer can be reliably evaluated in tubes stored unspun at room temperature for up to 8 hours after blood collection,” the authors write. “That optimal delay should be of 6 hours for FVIII.”

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